Table of contents

Postponement of the parental benefit period

The mother may postpone the last 4 weeks of the maternal quota, and the father may postpone the entire paternal quota. You may also postpone the shared period of the parental benefit period, with the exception of the three weeks prior to the due date , which are reserved for the mother. In the case of adoption, the entire period may be used to draw graded parental benefits, including the paternal quota.

Postponement requires:

that you work full time.

that you are entitled to statutory holidays, i.e. 21 working days. Holidays granted through a collective wage agreement are not included.

that you, due to sickness, are entirely dependent on assistance in caring for the child.

If your health is the reason why you wish to postpone the parental benefit period, you must document

how the illness or injury is affecting your ability to care for the child

the degree to which you are dependent on assistance

how long the illness or injury is expected to last

It is not sufficient that your doctor simply writes that you are dependent on assistance in caring for the child.

If both parents are entitled to parental benefits, and the father wishes to postpone the paternal quota or shared period, there are no requirements for the mother to be gainfully employed or engaged in another, equivalent activity.

If the father is the only one entitled to parental benefit, and he wishes to postpone the parental benefit period, there are certain requirements that apply to the mother's activities.If the father wants to postpone the benefit period for 2 weeks or more due to full time work, he must first have drawn parental benefits continuously for at least 6 weeks. For these 6 weeks, parental benefits may be combined with work.

Combining employment with parental benefits

You may choose to draw parental benefits in combination with part-time work, so-called graded parental benefit.

The mothers 3 weeks before birth and the 6 first weeks after, is an exception. These 9 weeks can not be postponed or graded.

Graded parental benefits make up the difference between part-time work and full-time work. Parental benefit payments are reduced in proportion to how much you work, so that you can distribute your parental benefit payments over a longer period of time. The total amount paid is the same, regardless of whether you claim graded parental benefits or full parental benefits. There is no floor or cap limiting how little or how much you can work.

You may choose to claim graded parental benefits concurrently or separately. If you choose to draw graded benefits concurrently, your combined benefits may not exceed 100 percent coverage. For example, if the father wishes to work part-time and claim graded parental benefits that are not part of the paternal quota, there is a requirement that the mother is also working, in a position equivalent to no less than the percentage of graded benefits the father is claiming. This requirement applies even if the mother has not accumulated any individual parental benefit rights.

You must apply for graded benefits in due time. This also applies if you are applying to change the terms of your graded benefits.

You may have holiday while you recieve parental benefit.

Concurrent claims

You may choose to concurrently claim up to 150 percent of parental benefits during if you combine 100 percent maternal og paternal qouta with 50 percent the shared period. When you are claiming 100 percent of your quota, the other parent may claim up to 50 percent graded parental benefits from the shared period. For example, if the father is claiming his paternal quota at 100 percent and the mother wants 50 percent parental benefit concurrently, the mother must be working minimum 50 percent of full time. If she is claiming 20 percent graded parental benefit to stay home, she must be working 80 percent of full time.

Concurrent claims in connection with the birth or adoption of multiples

As a main rule, the first 6 weeks after birth are reserved for the mother, but in connection with the birth of multiples, the father and mother may claim parental benefits concurrently. The father must choose one of the following alternatives:

Using the paternal quota—the degree of coverage is dependent on whether the mother has chosen 80 or 100 percent coverage

Using the additional weeks you are granted in connection with a multiple birth

You must choose whether the father is to use his paternal quota or the additional weeks concurrently with the mother's leave. Concurrent claims can be split into several separate time periods. If the father chooses to claim his paternal quota concurrent with the mother's leave, your subsequent concurrent claims are limited to the number of additional weeks you are granted.